The Administrative Core A will oversee all scientific, fiscal, and organizational activities of the MSCP Skin Cancer SPORE, including oversight of scientific and translational progress, oversight of expenditures, and regular meetings of the SPORE investigators. Core A will be responsible for the organization of our participation in the annual Skin SPORE retreats and interactions with the National Cancer Institute and other translational investigators of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, the National Cooperative Groups, and International Collaborative Groups with which investigators of the MSCP SPORE are actively engaged. Core A will be responsible for internal communications regarding the weekly Pathology and Translational Team Conferences of SPORE investigators, alternate-weekly fiscal reviews of all Projects and Cores, and monthly data safety reviews of the investigations of the MSCP SPORE. The Core will oversee clinical coordination, data management, and research tumor registry annotation of tissue bank specimens of protocol-driven and routine tissue banking (Core B), and biostatistical analyses (Core C) of data managed by the Informatics (Core D). The Administrative Core will be responsible for all communications with the external and internal Scientific Advisory Boards, Patient Advocates, and NCI personnel. The Core will coordinate travel of MSCP SPORE investigators selected to present work to annual NCI-sponsored SPORE meetings, and assist investigators in the preparation and submission of manuscripts for publication, maintaining records of SPORE publications. The Core will oversee and administer the Developmental Research and Career Development Programs in relation to the Projects and other Cores of the SPORE to ensure their smooth function and flexible adaptation to new advances, unforeseen challenges, and obstacles that may require redistribution of resources of the SPORE. Core A will serve as the exponent of MSCP investigators in the UPCI and Departments relevant to this Interdisciplinary Program, to optimize research productivity, complementarity, and synergy in relation to the Cancer Institute, other SPOREs, and Cooperative Groups.

Public Health Relevance

The Administrative Core will oversee all activities of the SPORE to ensure that SPORE guidelines are followed, that investigators work effectively toward translation of their research to benefit patients with skin cancers, with fiscal accountability and scientific integrity. Core A will ensure that MSCP investigators work together as a team to optimize progress and increase productivity through collaborations of the SPORE.